You've gotta be there, do that

Books are good enough in their own way, but they are a mighty bloodless substitute for life." ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

Now don't get me wrong -- I'm a huge fan of books! I can't walk into a bookstore without buying something, can't visit a museum without patronizing their bookshop, and if Amazon had a frequent flyer club, I'd have free tickets around the world. But back to Stevenson's quote -- you can read about something all you want, but it's not the same as being there. You need the personal experience.

I was reminded of this tonight, when I dug into my Gourmet archives seeking recipes for kale. I pulled out the Sept 92 issue (yes, I started collecting awhile ago!), and it had Egypt on the front cover, and an article that impressed me mightily years ago.

The article was "Flavors of Cairo" by Clifford Wright. I visited Egypt not long after this issue appeared, so I read the article before my trip, along with plenty of other pre-trip prep. The descriptions of Cairo were colorful, intriguing, and exotic, and I looked forward to the visit. I thought this was a great article, and took a photocopy along with me, since he listed restaurant suggestions.

We started in Cairo, then cruised the Nile, toured around a bit, then returned to Cairo a few weeks later. On our return, I dug out this article again, to check on those restaurants. Reading it after experiencing the city first-hand, I kept thinking "wow - that's exactly right!" The author hit so many things dead on, and captured them perfectly - the traffic, buildings, dust, markets, people... it's a great piece of travel writing. And there's the rub.

This is an excellent article, by a writer more expressive and eloquent than I'll ever be. Yet reading the article before my trip, it was interesting, intriguing, but just words. Reading it after I'd been there myself and experienced some of the same things he described, I had a totally different reaction to it. Even years later, reading it again tonight, I see it, hear it, smell it, and I can practically FEEL it again!

Reading gives you a brain-level understanding of something. But being there yourself gives you a full-body understanding - an inner understanding, a feeling to go with the words. No matter how many books you read or videos you watch, you don't really "get it" until you've been there, done that.

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I believe travel and adventure are mind-expanding and life-expanding, and that's a big part of why I started Adventurous Wench -- to help other people find some of the wonder, excitement, and joy that I've found myself. Of course, that doesn't mean I'll stop writing, and I sure hope people keep reading, too!